Projecting the Phillies 2010 postseason roster

Now that the Phillies have finally clinched the postseason, it's time for me to take my stab at who will be on the postseason roster. With a team as loaded as the Phillies, all of the debate surrounding who makes the postseason roster centers on the final bench bats and who they want in the bullpen.

Starting Pitchers: Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt, Joe Blanton
As the top seed in the NL, the Phillies will have the luxury of going with just the "Big Three" in the first round, leaving Joe Blanton in a long relief role. Count on Blanton being used in the second round at some point.

Bullpen: Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, Jose Contreras, Chad Durbin, J.C. Romero, Antonio Bastardo, Danys Baez
The first 5 are obvious choices but things get a little dicey from there. Because the rotation is so good, the Phillies can afford to go with just 11 pitchers and have an extra bench player, so that leaves two bullpen spots up for grabs. I think, despite only pitching 15 innings in the majors this year, Bastardo will get one of the spots simply because he's a lefty. That leaves the Phils picking between Danys Baez, Kyle Kendrick and David Herndon for the final spot. Since Herndon has no experience and Kendrick wouldn't have a role since Blanton will be in a long relief role, Baez is given a spot by default. Luckily, I can't see any conceivable situation where Baez would actually be used in a playoff game.

Starting Bats: Carlos Ruiz, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco, Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth
As long as J-Roll is healthy, this is a complete no-brainer.

Bench Bats: Ben Francisco, Wilson Valdez, Brian Schneider, Ross Gload, Mike Sweeney, Domonic Brown
With an extra spot, the Phillies can afford to keep a rookie like Brown around just for the experience. Hopefully they keep the kid around and don't choose to go with Greg Dobbs, who is completely useless at this point. While there has been some talk of Mike Sweeney not making the roster, it would be crushing not to let him play given that he finally made the postseason after a decade of losing with the Royals. Besides, he's a positive veteran influence in the clubhouse and would be good for a pinch hit or two.

That is my projected roster for the Phillies as they begin their quest for another title. Feel free to disagree in the comments section!